It’s hard to write a post about my goals for the year after the firestorm that was 2020, when so much is still unknown.
Normally, I write these posts over the Christmas break while I’m knee deep in chocolates and box sets. But I worked over the holidays this year and before 2021 had really begun, we were into a third lockdown. It certainly wasn’t unexpected, but it has already changed the trajectory of the year and put the holidays firmly in the past. From the hope and new beginnings January can bring, we’ve gone back into difficult and uncertain times.
But I still think it’s important to set goals for myself.
Last year – unironically – was all about transition. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what my word for this year should be. Perhaps self-care, or creativity. Maybe fulfilment. They’re all things I crave.
But the one that resonated most for me is happiness. I’ve worked hard over the last few years, putting in long hours and piling pressure on myself. At times my mental health has suffered. And although I have a good life, I’ve spent a lot of time exhausted and unhappy, because I’m not living a life that feels right. It doesn’t feel true to me.
So, happiness it is. Happiness is something I need to work for. I need to become more resilient and get better at looking after myself. I need better habits: less screen time and social media, more books and walks in nature.
When it comes to work and my goals as a freelancer, I still need to figure out the specifics, but I want to move away from marketing and towards more creative roles.
But there are a few more things I want to do this year:
Finish my next book
I finished the first draft of Swallow(s) in October and in December found out I’d been awarded a grant from the Society of Authors to buy some time to work on edits. I’ve got a massive list of things I want to change, in particular the setting, which will become my hometown of Middlesbrough.
Find a literary agent
It feels a bit scary to say it, but once the manuscript is finished, I’m hoping to send my book on submission and see if I can get an agent. My first book, The Disappeared, was published without one, so I’d like to go the more traditional route this time. Fingers crossed someone likes the book!
Write more short stories
I used to tell myself I was terrible at short stories, but I got really into flash fiction last year and would love to write more. It’s a real skill to tell a story in just a few hundred words and it’s one I’d like to refine. Last year, I published four short stories and I’d like to publish at least one in 2021.
Mentor other writers
When I found myself on furlough last summer, the first thing I did was publish a call-out to mentor two emerging northern writers, after a really interesting Zoom session run by author Nikesh Shukla. Over the second half of the year, I had monthly sessions with two talented ladies, discussing their goals as writers and giving feedback on their writing. I’m thrilled to say one of them has since got an agent, so I’m hoping for a signed copy of her book before too much longer!
This year I’d love to build up my mentoring skills and work with a range of writers as they develop their writing practice.
Get away
Travel hasn’t really been possible over the last few months, so I’m hoping that we’ll have the chance to get out of the house and spend a few nights somewhere new. We’ve no grand plans to leave the country – I suspect a trip we have booked to Morocco, postponed from last summer, probably won’t happen – but I’d love to escape my living room and stay in a cottage by the sea.
Have you set any goals for the year?